Chemical Engineering January 2023 - 16

systems, Technobis
Crystallization
Systems has recently brought to the
market a software package based
on artificial intelligence (AI). Nowadays,
there are a lot of data available
and therefore AI is more reliable and
speeds up the drug-discovery and
development of new APIs [active
pharmaceutical ingredients], " says
Guguta. " AI-based software is used to
ease data analysis and facilitate taking
the right decision as soon as possible
during development, " she says.
Last November, the company
launched the Crystalline Version 2,
an eight-reactor parallel crystallizer
for formulation and particle visualization.
" The resolution of the cameras
allows the user to analyze particles
as small as close to nanometer
scale, " explains Guguta. " The image
analysis is based on AI software allowing
the user to better understand
particle properties and optimize
their processes as early as possible.
Raman spectroscopy is also an option
on the Crystalline instrument,
enabling chemists to follow chemical
reactions of solid-form transformations
while they are performing
the experiments. If we are looking at
macromolecules, Raman spectroscopy
can be performed in-situ with
the Crystalline instrument. For example,
folding and unfolding of proteins
can be easily detected, " she says.
Back in April, the company
launched the Crystal16 V3 (Figure 5)
- a multi-reactor crystallizer for medium
throughput solubility. The latest
version has integrated transmissivity
technology and enhanced analytical
capabilities, in a streamlined unibody
design, to reduce the time and resources
consumed in crystallization
experiments and analysis. " Scientists
can improve and accelerate their
crystallization research with the Crystal16
parallel crystallizer, the ultimate
instrument for research and process
development. With 16 reactors at
a volume of 1 mL, users can easily
determine temperature-dependent
solubility curves and screen for crystallization
conditions, " says Guguta.
Other operations
Electrosynthesis. Pioneered by
professor Sigfried Waldvogel, at
the Johannes Gutenberg Univer16
sity
of Mainz (JGU; Germany; www.
uni-mainz.de), electrosynthesis can
be achieved using a simple undivided
cell (Chem. Eng., September
2021, pp. 12-16). Because there
are many parameters that need to
be determined in developing such a
process (such as electrode material,
electrolyte, voltage, current and so
on), Waldvogel developed a screening
system for conducting multiple
experiments at the same time. When
combined with design-of-experiments
(DoE) and machine learning
(ML), the number of experiments
needed to determine process conditions
is greatly reduced, he says.
The screening system has since
been further developed and commercialized
by IKA-Werke GmbH & Co.
KG (IKA; Staufen, Germany; www.
ika.com), which offers two variations:
one with six divided cells and another
with eight undivided cells. The system
includes the power and heating supplies,
as well as the control system
used for parallel processing of multibatch
electrochemical reactions. A
large number of different electrode
materials are also available.
Calorimetry. At Achema 2022 last
August, the Fraunhofer Institute for
Chemical Technology (ICT; Pfinztal,
Germany; www.ict.fraunhofer.de)
introduced its continuously operating
reaction calorimeters, based on
microreactors, which permits rapid
screening of important thermo-kinetic
data. The calorimeter has an
array of sensors, based on Seebeck
elements, for the localized, quantitative
characterization of heat flows.
The sensor arrays have up to 40 individual
sensors, which can gather
data on the heat generated in a microreactor
with a high degree of temporal
and spatial resolution. Because
the rate of heat released is directly
proportional to the reaction rate,
basic kinetic and thermodynamic
data of chemical reactions can be
measured, ICT says.
Photochemistry.
For
developing
photochemical reactions, Asynt Ltd.
(Isleham, Ely, U.K.; www.asynt.com)
offers its LightSyn Illumin8 parallel
photochemistry reaction station for
performing parallel chemistry screening.
The unit sits on top of a hot plate
for stirring and heating, and has eight
Technobis Crystallization Systems
FIGURE 5. The Crystal16 V3 parallel crystallizer
has 16 reactors, enabling researchers to determine
solubility curves and screening for crystallization
processes
parallel reactors illuminated by eight,
10-W LEDs. Available lamps include
those for ultraviolet (365 nm) and visible
(450 nm and more) radiation.
The company also offers the
fReactor PhotoFlow module, which
was developed at the Institute of
Process Research and Development
at the University of Leeds
(www.iprd.leeds.ac.uk) in conjunction
with Asynt. This system combines
both photochemistry and flow
chemistry, and can be used for up
to five parallel reactions.
Microwave. Using microwaves for
heating has a number of advantages:
they heat up the reaction mixture directly
inside the reaction vial without
heating the surroundings. Unlike conventional
heating sources, microwave
heating can be turned on and off instantly,
giving you complete control of
the heating. To obtain real-time information
about the chemical composition
of pressurized reactions, Anton
Paar GmbH (Graz, Austria; www.
anton-paar.com)
offers the Movowave
400 R, a microwave reactor with
in-situ Raman spectroscopy. The system
can be used optimize reaction
conditions based on the influence of
different reaction parameters, different
reagents and for detecting the
ideal end point of a reaction. The system
operates at temperatures up to
300°C and pressures up to 30 bars.
For multiple experiments, the company
also offers its Rotor 4X24MG5,
which is designed for " hit-to-lead "
generation (an iterative approach for
screening molecules) and parallel
optimization in microwave synthesis.
The unit has 96 disposable glass
vials arranged in silicon carbide
blocks for reaction conditions up to
200°C and 20 bars.
n
Gerald Ondrey
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
JANUARY 2023
https://www.uni-mainz.de https://www.ika.com https://www.iprd.leeds.ac.uk https://www.ict.fraunhofer.de https://www.anton-paar.com http://www.asynt.com http://WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
Chemical Engineering January 2023

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